Walter Bedell Smith

Walter Bedell Smith (5 October 1895-9 August 1961) was a General of the US Army who served as Dwight D. Eisenhower's chief of staff during World War II and as Director of the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 7 October 1950 to 9 February 1953.

Biography
Walter Bedell Smith was born on 5 October 1895 in Indianapolis, Indiana, and he joined the national guard in 1911. During World War I, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, and he was wounded during the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918. Smith served as a staff officer and military instructor during the Interwar period, becoming Secretary of the General Staff in 1941 and becoming deeply involved with planning operations during World War II; he often briefed President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself on strategic issues. In September 1942, he became the chief of staff of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and he represented "Ike" on diplomatic missions to other Allied leaders. In May 1945, he signed Nazi Germany's instrument of surrender at Reims, France, representing Eisenhower at the German capitulation. From 1946 to 1948, he served as ambassador to the Soviet Union, and he served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1950 to 1953. He made the CIA the covert operations arm of the government, redesigning its purpose, and he served as Under Secretary of State from 1953 to 1954. Smith died in Washington DC in 1961 at the age of 65.